drumming

23 posts

https://soundcloud.com/behindthekit/episode-46-jon-mattox Behind The Kit is great podcast talking with professional drummers about their journeys in music. I was thrilled to be a guest, and we discussed lots of topics related to drumming, composing, recording, technology, and the business of music. Visit the Behind The Kit Podcast site for more interviews and […]

Found some 2006 footage of a NI Vokator 'drums processed by vocoder' experiment. Tonight re-assigned midi to Waves Morphoder and this was the result. Groove is 11/8 or 4/4 + 3/8. I wish they would bring back Vokator. A post shared by Jon Mattox (@jonmattox) on Nov 2, 2014 at […]

Spontaneous sound checking rhythm. Turns out it is 4/4. A post shared by Jon Mattox (@jonmattox) on Oct 2, 2014 at 9:39am PDT While setting up for a drumming session, and a bit under the weather from allergies, this rhythm appeared. It felt odd (as in odd time) while playing […]

After the Experimental Composer/Percussion Workshop among the massive amounts of drums and percussion, I found a beautiful hang drum sitting there looking lonely. I picked it up, started playing, and some magical sounds came out. I had always wanted to play one, and now I must get a few. A […]

The dark humorous clip above is from the movie Whiplash featuring Miles Teller. He’s a drummer getting hammered by a band leader about tempo, that elusive skill that musicians (especially drummers) strive to perfect and control. Time is everything for a drummer and it can be difficult to control in stressful situations […]

An experiment replacing the snare with a 14″ floor tom, an octoban played with the left foot, and no proper high hat. Featuring FMP percussion and Istanbul Agop cymbals. I often get inspired by different setups, mixing things up a bit, and seeing what happens. This groove appeared soon after […]

Any day that I get a call from Roy Burns is always a great day. I’ve known Roy for many years first as a teacher, which turned into a mentor, which later turned into a friend. On this occasion, he called to let me know that some footage of […]

A bit of a soundcheck before laying down some drums for the score of “Little Paradise”. Douglas Pipes was the composer, and he was looking for an open, dare I say ‘jazzy’ type drum sound for his music. There were no close mics used, just 2 room microphones and […]

Hand technique is like anything else. Use it or lose it. Before jumping into composing or recording, most mornings I’ll run through some sticking exercises, rudimental drumming, coordination patterns, and sight reading to keep in shape. The above video features improvised flams and flam taps, and few other rudimentary […]

Most objects usually speak out rhythms and patterns to me as I’m doing these sound design sessions, and with two of the water heater panels in front of me, this rhythm emerged. It will inevitably end up on a future piece of music. Captured by my son on an iPhone: […]